Senior Andrew DiBitetto shot four-under par 67 in the second round of the NCAA East Regional. |
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Charlotte In at Five-Under After Two Rounds at NCAA Regional
May 16, 2008
Chattanooga, Tenn. - Senior Andrew DiBitetto, the 49ers all-time leader in tournaments played, wants to make sure the 49ers have one more to play. Firing a four-under par 67 in the second round of the NCAA East Regional at Council Fire Golf Club, DiBitetto kept Charlotte in contention to advance to the 30-team NCAA Championships, May 28-31.
After two rounds the 49ers stand at five-under par, 563. Part of the morning wave of teams, Charlotte walked off the course tied for eighth place, with many teams still to complete their rounds. The top 10 teams following Saturday's third and final round will advance to the NCAA Championships, hosted by Purdue.
"We talked in the van on the way over about getting off to a good start," said DiBitetto. "We were starting on the back nine and knew there were two par fives early (2 of the first 4 holes). We wanted to make as many birdies as possible, early."
DiBitetto succeeded, posting birdies on three of his first four holes to card a 4-under par 31 on holes 10-18 for the second straight day. DiBitetto then played the front nine in even par to finish with a two-round total of -6, 136, which lands him among the top 10 individuals.
Fellow senior Jonas Enander Hedin overcame a bumpy start to finish at -1, 70 while sophomore Corey Nagy rebounded from a difficult opening round to shoot even-par, 71. Senior Trevor Murphy added a +3, 74 and junior Stefan Wiedergruen shot +6, 77.
"The goal every time out is to play your best and if it's not your best you want it to be good enough," said 49ers head coach Jamie Green. "Through two rounds, (our play) falls into that `good enough' category. I'm looking forward to tomorrow being closer to our best."
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Despite the struggles to put up eye-catching numbers, the 49ers have continued to battle. Enander Hedin shot -3, 33 on his second nine while both DiBitetto and Nagy shot even par over the second nine to stay in the race.
"On this golf course, on both nines, it's how you finish. Holes 15 through 18 and seven through nine are pretty much going to determine how you stack up," Green said. "We finished well. I feel good about tomorrow. They know they can play out there."
Enander Hedin, the 49ers stroke average leader, birdied his second hole (#11) but added three bogeys on his first nine, making the turn at two-over par. He birdied hole #1 and notched an eagle at the par five second to turn his game around.
"It was pretty rough," Enander Hedin admitted. "I was up and down alot. Nothing felt all that great, but I eagled #2 and got a positive boost from that and played pretty solid from there. I played some smart shots and some putts started to fall."
A long birdie putt on the par 3, seventh helped Enander finish the round under-par.
"I struggled a bit with my ball striking, especially off the tee," Enander Hedin said. "My short game was pretty good and I'm rolling putts where I'm looking so eventually they will drop. I'll go to the range and work on my rhythm. I need to use my legs and core a little more instead of swinging with my hands."
"I need to keep doing the things I've been doing," said DiBitetto. "Stay patient and take opportunities when they come. As for the team, we just need to be ourselves. We've got good players. There's no need to try to be more or do more. We just need to be ourselves and we'll be alright."
Frontrunner Georgia, which was playing in the Charlotte's threesome with South Carolina, shot 13-under par to post a two-round total of 32-under par extending its comfortable lead.
"We played with Georgia and that was a treat," said Green. "They've manhandled this course for two rounds. When you watch putt after putt drop, you know putts can be made. It's a bit of a clinic out there."
The top 10 teams from the Regional will advance to the NCAA Championships, May 28-31 at Purdue. Charlotte, which is making its fourth straight NCAA Regional appearance has advanced to the NCAA Championships in each of the last two years. Charlotte finished a program-best third at last year's finals.
